An update from the AUPSS

It's been a busy and successful year so far for the Auckland University Property Students Society (AUPSS). AUPSS President Charmaine Yu reports on the range of events and initiatives run by the Society:

Semester One events

“At the beginning of Semester One we launched our Junior Mentoring Programme. This programme matches a junior student with a more senior student to provide support and advice to students at the beginning of their University journey. We have had a good uptake and are excited to continue this programme in Semester Two.

“We also held our Graduate Panel event, which gave our members an insight into various roles and opportunities in the property industry. Our panellists were:

Micah Lawson - Acquisitions Manager at Jasper
Jed Sorensen - Plant and Machinery Valuer at Beca
Alice Liu - Valuer at NHV
Sarah O’Callaghan - Office Leasing Team Assistant at Colliers.

“We held our first pub crawl, which was a collaborative stein with AUCSA (Auckland University Commerce Students Association). The stein was a great way to socialise and meet students from another society. We also held a cocktail night with UAIC (University of Auckland Investment Club). Held at La Zeppa, this was a great opportunity for students to dress up and enjoy a night of cocktails, music, and good company."

Semester Two events

“At the beginning of Semester Two we held our second pub crawl, which was a very popular event. We also held our Networking and Discussion panel, which provided property students with an opportunity to network and gain insight into the property industry from a diverse panel of seasoned professionals. Our panellists for this event were:

Lisa Chen - Associate Director, Strategic Consultancy at JLL
Hunter Williams - Valuer, Asset Advisory at Beca
Renee Lintott - Senior Analyst, Strategic Advisory at Colliers
Brittany Morgan - Assistant Valuer, Retirement Housing and Healthcare at CBRE.

“We recently held our very first volunteering event: a beach clean-up at Mission Bay. The aim of this event was to give back to the community.

“Our final networking event for the year was our recent Women in Property event. The main goal of this event was to provide property students with a chance to hear from women in the property industry. They shared their journey, challenges, and advice to inspire current property students."

Upcoming events

“At the end of Semester Two we will be holding our Junior Mentoring closing event to wrap up the programme for the year and celebrate the successes of those who have taken part."

Making connections

“As well as making connections within the Property student cohort on campus through events like the Clubs Expo, and in-class promotions of upcoming events, a large focus of our club is to connect property students with industry professionals. This year we held three networking events: the Graduate Panel (which was held at the beginning of Semester One), the Networking and Discussion Panel, and our Women in Property Panel.

“Each of these events began with a speaker panel, where students heard from industry professionals. This allowed students to gain an insight into the different aspects of the panellists’ roles, to hear about any challenges they’ve faced and how they overcame them, and to hear any advice the panellists may have had for Property students. We then had a Q&A session where students could address questions to specific individuals or to the panel as a whole. The final part of these events offered students the opportunity to network with both their peers and the industry professionals."

Growing the AUPSS’s student base

“This year, we have grown our student base through the following initiatives:

• We offered a discounted membership during both semesters’ Orientation Weeks
• We encouraged sign-ups through in-class promotion of events and our club
• We offered a wide range of networking, social, and volunteering events to appeal to property students.

“Our club member count currently stands at 120 members. Our Instagram account has more than 400 followers, followed by our LinkedIn account, with close to 200 followers.”